Chinese military presence in Sudan

By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough

WASHINGTON, Mar 05, 2004 (Washington Times) — David Hale, an economist who specializes in Chinese affairs, said in a recent speech that China has deployed about 4,000 troops to southern Sudan. The troops are there to protect an oil pipeline, Mr. Hale said.

The Chinese presence was first disclosed by South African government officials who told Mr. Hale about the troops during a recent visit to South Africa.

Mr. Hale said the Chinese troops represent a new concern about China. Beijing, starved for energy resources, is likely to become an expansionist power in the coming years as a way to gain access to oil and gas reserves. In addition to Africa, future energy-related targets for Beijing could include the Russian Far East, which is growing increasingly isolated from central Russia and Southeast Asia, where China, in the past, has made military moves in the South China Sea, where oil and gas deposits are believed to be held.

A U.S. government official familiar with intelligence reports confirmed that there are Chinese in Sudan. However, the official could not confirm that 4,000 Chinese troops are there.

The reported Chinese troop presence in Sudan follows an Internet report several years ago that there were 700,000 Chinese troops in Sudan. That report proved to be false.